Trevor Ariza rolled his eyes and let out the sort of laugh that seemed to say he did not find anything particularly funny.

Ron Artest, Ariza's predecessor with the Rockets and successor with the Lakers, had been comparing himself to Ariza again, this time going a different way with the attention-grabbing — imagine that — suggestion that Ariza was not only a better fit for the Lakers but a better player because Ariza has a Lakers championship ring.

“He's a better player than me,” Artest told the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday, well before today's meeting in Toyota Center. “He's a better player. He's won a ring; I haven't. I can't even compare to him. He's a better player.”

The topic had come up only because of the argument that Ariza, a 6-8 forward, is a better fit for the Lakers.

“He probably is,” Artest said. “He's a role player, a great role player. I haven't been a role player.

“Many times I've had to carry the load. This is a different look for me.”

But Ariza was not moved by the Artestian praise.

“He's probably only saying that because people have been yelling,” Ariza said. “He's doing a good job. It's tough to go into that system and learn how to do things your first year.

“If that's what he wants to say, I appreciate it, but I'm just trying to play here.”

When asked if he thought Artest was sincere with his opinion, Ariza did not seem to care.

“I don't think so, but whatever,” Ariza, 24, said. “That's his team, and this is the team I'm on. We have to do what we have to do.

“I didn't hear it. Even if I did, I wouldn't study it. I'm just here to play, finish out the season right. Why would we even think about that? He's 260, I'm 210. He's stronger. I'm a little quicker. That's not for us to decide.”

Comparable stats

But the idea that Artest, a 6-7 forward, is not well-suited to his reduced offensive role is not new.

Though he would seem more of a go-to scorer, the Lakers do not need him in that role as his previous teams did.

“I don't know where Ron is coming from sometimes,” said Rick Adelman, Artest's coach with the Rockets and Kings. “Ron likes to be an impact player. On that team, sometimes he is, but not all the time.”

Ariza had hoped to develop into more of that sort of player with the Rockets but has struggled with his shot, making just 38.9 percent this season. But in recent games he has shown the sort of all-around play the Rockets wanted when they signed him to the five-year contract that moved him into Artest's former spot in the Rockets' rotation.

“I don't think he's forcing anything,” Adelman said. “He's taking shots that come his way. With Kevin (Martin) and Aaron (Brooks) out there, that's what he has to do, be more of a facilitator. I think it's important he concentrates on other areas than just scoring right now.

“I think we're going to find out more and more, because defensively he's going to have to really keep his concentration, get better every game. Without Shane (Battier), he's got a pretty good lineup (of defensive assignments) this week.”